Monday, November 16, 2015

When Living by Our Own Moral Compass Snuffs Out the Light

In my last post I talked about people who didn't necessarily claim to follow Christ but who exemplified Christ-like behaviour. When we live like Christ, light shines out of us into a dark world. When we do our own thing without regard for others, we make the world a darker place.

Below are some real life examples that have astounded me regarding how darkness creeps into the world.

One of the galleries where I exhbit my artwork experienced a rift with a new member. Miscommunication between the new member and several others, plus the inability of the newcomer to follow the guidelines of the gallery caused the newest member to leave in a huff. This person took a private battle and anger public. She posted a rant on the gallery's Facebook page, saying every negative and hateful thing she could think of in order to get back at the people she felt had wronged her. I am sure those who operate the gallery didn't intend to upset this person. What the former member did in response was so self-seeking and hostile I couldn't believe an adult could act this way.

In another example, I recently met a woman who told me a story that again exhibited people using their own moral compass by which to operate. The event occured several years back when this woman lived and worked in New York city as a waitress while putting herself through school. A well-to-do family had come in for dinner along with their rambumtious children. They were very demanding and the children were out of control. All through the dinner the waitress ran herself ragged trying to meet their requests.

At the end of the meal when she presented the bill to them, the mother paid with a credit card and signed the receipt with a sterling silver Tiffany's pen. The tip was for $2.00 and the family left without thanking their waitress who was extremely ticked off. The woman who paid accidentally left her expensive pen behind.

As the waistress finished up, she spotted the pen and confiscated it. A short while later the woman who had signed the check came back and asked the waitress if she had found the pen. "No, sorry," she responded. "I haven't found any such thing." And that was that.

Last week I was a victim of identity theft. Someone attempted to charge $630 on my Discover Card but fortunately I, and the store at which it was charged, caught it in time. This is the second time I was nearly robbed via credit card. The first time the person scammed me using a stolen card to the tune of $1,000.

Last week Paris was rocked by multiple acts of terrorism. I could reference countless more scenarios but you live in the same world and already know what I do.

Above are both minor and major scenarios which exemplify people doing dark things and doing what they want in order to achieve their own goals. They act according to what seems right in their own eyes in order to achieve a purpose. When we live this way, we do not shine any kind of light on the world, Instead, we make the world a darker place.

I can't help but think of the passage that says, "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. " Judges 17:6. Which refers to the Jews living according to how they saw fit prior to having kings. When we don't let Jesus and his teaching rule over our lives, we have no moral compass. Instead, we do what seems right in oiur own eyes. If anything, the world needs the light of Christ-like living to shine bright in a dark world. Without it, there is little hope.